After two near misses & two bronze, the on-court vivisection of Japanese Okuhara in 37 minutes for maiden World C’ship gold heralds a new dawn for Sindhu
CHENNAI : Thirty-seven minutes of mayhem, destruction, and sheer, unbridled power in its most visceral form. Thirty seven minutes of PV Sindhu reminding the world why she considers BWF World Championships her playground. Thirty seven minutes of Sindhu’s greatest hits being played on a loop as she scripted history by becoming the first Indian world champion in the sport.
It was so one-sided — a final scoreline of 21-7, 21-7 — that Sindhu could have played the majority of the final with one hand tied behind her back. Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, World No 4 with a medal haul to rival Sindhu, didn’t stand a chance. If the 2017 final between these two went down in history because of the brilliance and endurance of both (it finished 21-19, 20-22, 22-20 in Okuhara’s favour), this will be remembered for the way Sindhu dismantled Okuhara. The match ended the only way it could: Okuhara on all fours, Sindhu standing tall.
Her constant peppering of Okuhara’s body with smashes was reminiscent of a fast-bowler torturing a tail-ender with chin music. And the way she moved the Japanese from flank to flank was like watching a master puppeteer at work. What really did work in the Indian’s favour was her ability to keep plugging away without taking her foot off the gas.
She did not allow Okuhara to breathe. A prime example of that was the way Sindhu reacted whenever Okuhara committed an unforced error. She would rush to the net, pick up the shuttle and be ready to serve. In the 2017 and 2018 finals, she let her opponents come to the net and send the shuttle to her side of the court — a common badminton etiquette.
Another slight tweak was her ability to shorten points. Whenever rallies were threatening to develop, she used her height to snufff them out. Significantly, not a single rally went beyond 30 shots, a far cry from the 73-shot one these two played in the 2017 final. In all, they played 56 rallies, with Sindhu winning 42.
Each winner was a dagger that pierced Okuhara usually resolute defense. The last, a smash to the left of Okuhara that made her fall to her knees, signalled the dawn of a new era. It’s been a long time coming — bronze in 2013, another in 2014, and then two silver in 2017 and 2018. This gold, completes the set. Once the supporting cast for four years, and now the lead actor in just 37 minutes.
